Access Tourism NZ TOURISM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, AND AGEING BOOMERS IN NEW ZEALAND AND WORLDWIDE

The European Disability Forum is an independent European non-government organisation which has played a key role in ensuring that all relevant EU policies and initiatives  take disabled people into account.  It reports that the European Commission has just adopted a communication on tourism which proposes to better include people with disabilities.   The latest communication from the Commission points out that tourism plays an important role in Europe’s economy. It comprises 1.8 million enterprises, many of these being small and medium-sized businesses. It also points out that transport and tourism is a basic right for all citizens, including people with disabilities. The right to travel and to access tourist activities is enshrined in Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).    The UN CRPD has been signed and ratified by New Zealand, so that these rights exist in this country.  However, we have not done a very good job in implementing this (see for example, this post, and this).   

CRPD has been signed and is in the process of ratification by the European communities and its Member States.  Read more……………

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Disabled people in New Zealand should to put pressure on the Government to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).  So said Professor Ron McCallum, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a recent visit to NZ hosted by the Human Rights Commission.  The UN Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Disability Convention by States Parties. McCallum is also professor at the University of Sydney Law School and is the first totally blind person to be appointed to a full professorship in Australia.  The HRC reports that Professor McCallum met with government officials and community people to share information and discuss issues around monitoring the Convention.   Professor McCallum believes the most important aspect of the Convention is its reliance on the social model of disability. This model states that people who have impairments are a natural part of our human diversity and that society creates barriers by not considering all people when designing buildings, websites, policies, etc. This view clarifies that government and society must commit to removing the barriers they create, so that all people can participate. There is particular onus on NZ to implement the Convention because NZ was instrumental in progressing the CRPD, and in fact won the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award for making noteworthy progress towards the full participation of citizens with disabilities.

About 50 people attended a seminar on Access Tourism given in mid-May by Sandra Rhodda of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI)and Director of Access Tourism New Zealand.  The seminar was held at Auckland University of Technology.  (AUT).    Audience members included tourism operators, business people, academics, and individuals from local councils, Qualmark, a government member, and people from a variety of NGOs.   Rhodda gave a summary of why New Zealand needs to develop an Access Tourism sector, mainly from the perspective of the economic imperative to do so.  She also gave examples of developments in Access Tourism in the rest of the world, pointed out how New Zealand is lagging in this area, and discussed the kinds of research that New Zealand needs to do to get such an industry sector going.  To see the presentation, go here. 

The seminar was a prelude to the up and coming one day conference on Access Tourism - also to be run by NZTRI/AUT at the central Auckland campus – on October 4th.  The conference will look at various aspects of Access Tourism, including some of the following: the current situation NZ and worldwide, website access and information best practice, government strategy, policy, and obligations, best practice in transport , accommodation, and attractions access, legal aspects, and quality rating for Access Tourism products in New Zealand.  It will also include brainstorming sessions on strategies for advancing the development of Access Tourism in New Zealand and developing collaboration as a tool to advance that development. These topics are based on those most popularly picked from a list of possible topics in an online survey. Registration and programme details will be available shortly on this website and on the NZTRI website.

October 4 2010 has been set as the date for the first ever conference in New Zealand on Access Tourism.  The conference will look at various aspects of Access Tourism, including some of the following: the current situation in NZ and worldwide, website access and information best practice, government strategy, policy, and obligations, best practice in transport , accommodation, and attractions access,  training for access in the tourism and hospitality sector, legal aspects, and quality rating for Access Tourism products in New Zealand.   It will also include brainstorming sessions on strategies for advancing the development of Access Tourism in New Zealand and developing collaboration as a tool to advance that development.  These topics are based on those most popularly picked from a list of possible topics in an online survey.   The conference is being run by the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at Auckland University of Technology, and will be a no frills sustainable event.  For more information, contact sandrarhodda at hotmail.com.

The NZ Tourism Industry Association, in a press release welcoming a reduction in marine safety charges paid by cruise ships, has recognized the importance of Baby Boomers to this market. “This is a high value tourism sector, driven by high-spending and discerning international baby boomers,” said Tim Cossar, TIA Chief Executive.  Eighty-one cruise ships and more than 112,000 passengers are expected to have visited New Zealand by the end of the 2009/10 season (year ending August), says Mr Cossar. In total they will make 479 port calls, with each cruise estimated to be worth about $1 million to the New Zealand economy. The sector is expected to grow by a further 30% in the 2010/11 season, with a record season forecast for 2011/12.  Cruise visit are really expected to take of in 2014, when the Panama Canal is expanded so that bigger ships can pass through and potentially head our way.

Cruise passengers in New Zealand tend to be in older age groups (over 70% are 55 or older), and as Access Tourism New Zealand has pointed out before (most recently, 6/11/2009,  9/12/2009, 13/1/2010, 3/2/2010, 24/2/2010), our ports are ill prepared for an influx of older visitors, especially when it comes to improving access for ageing Baby Boomers, cruise passengers who are already disabled, and the increase in cruisers who will have a disability in future.  Why?  Because disability increases with age.  Certainly the cruise industry is very aware of access issues in cruising – witness the fact that a session on accessibility and cruising was one of the six breakout sessions at the recent UK Cruise Convention.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, stipulates that the construction, acquisition and operation of all cruise and ferry terminals and vessels of signatory nations (including New Zealand) should comply with its accessibility provisions.  Lets hope NZ does so.

ENAT (European Network for Accessible Tourism) reports that TRANSED 2010 will include a technical session on accessible marine travel featuring cruise ship, ferry vessel, and terminal design as part of the Accessible Tourism Track.  In view of the recent passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the construction, acquisition and operation all cruise and ferry terminal and vessels of signatory nations (including New Zealand) should comply with its accessibility provisions.

The following are keynote speakers:

• Katherine McGuinness (Kessler McGuinness and Associates, LLC, Newton, MA):  expert in accessible ferry transportation; will discuss key issues in accessible ferry docks, and a successful negotiated rulemaking process that resulted in state and national standards for accessible water transportation;
• Douglas Playter, (Principal Project Manager, CH2M HILL, Seattle): prominent US cruise and ferry terminal designer/manager; will outline factors in accessible cruise terminal design and operation. Drawing on his extensive experience in over 35 ferry and cruise terminal improvement projects in North America, he will provide examples of cruise terminals embodying system-wide and intermodal transfer accessibility in accordance with the applicable ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards and guidelines;
• David Chapman (Program Manager, AMSEC LLC, a naval architecture and marine engineering design firm): expert on passenger vessel accessibility: will provide the companion technical piece on accessibility factors in cruise ship design, describe cruise ship universal design and construction features in adherence with the applicable US ADA accessibility standards and guidelines;
• Wanda Harbin (Customer Relations Officer, Marine Atlantic, Canada):  will discuss the importance of staff and personnel training to enhance accessibility in the marine transport systems;
• Clement Lau (Assistant Commissioner (Tourism), Tourism Commission, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, SAR Government of Hong Kong): will discuss “The Hong Kong Cruise Market and the New Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak”

There will also be many tourism related presentations and numerous conference papers on the demographic profile and travel patterns of the well-travelled baby boomers and persons with disabilities. Greater understanding of this emerging market segment will help the marine transport industry respond to their growing needs through adopting innovative designs, products, services and staff training.  The main conference and exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, June 5-8, 2010.

The EU has approved a declaration which includes Access Tourism.  So reports the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT).  The Madrid Declaration – which makes recommendations to the European Commission to implement a first-ever European tourism policy –  includes the following:

“With a view to the “Communication on the renewed EU Tourism Policy Framework”, which the Commission is to present before the EU Council, the Tourism Ministers meeting in Madrid wish to invite the Commission to take into consideration the pertinence of:

(3)  Facilitating the access to holidays to groups with impaired mobility or those who are socially and/or economically disadvantaged, promoting as the same time a better and more prolonged use of tourist infrastructures, the maintenance of tourist activity in the regions for longer periods, and a strengthening of the feeling of European citizenship”.

Vice-president of the Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, and Spanish Industry, Tourism, and Trade Minister Miguel Sebastian agreed that the Declaration is a first step to the commitment of the EU to socially responsible tourism, that tourism should be an asset that all citizens – including those with physical disabilities – can enjoy, and recognized the potential role of ageing citizens to maintaining tourism in the low season.

A new edition of the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs report, World Population Ageing 2009, has been released.  The report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries.   The contents of the report underscore four major findings:

1. Population ageing is unprecedented, a process without parallel in the history of humanity. At the world level, the number of older persons is expected to exceed the number of children for the first time in 2045. In the more developed regions, where population ageing is far advanced, the number of children dropped below that of older persons in 1998.

2. Population ageing is pervasive since it is affecting nearly all the countries of the world.

3. Population ageing is profound, having major consequences and implications for all facets of human life. In the economic area, population ageing will have an impact on economic growth, savings, investment, consumption, labour markets, pensions, taxation and intergenerational transfers.

4. Population ageing is enduring. Since 1950, the proportion of older persons has been rising steadily, passing from 8 per cent in 1950 to 11 per cent in 2009, and is expected to reach 22 per cent in 2050. As long as old-age mortality continues to decline and fertility remains low, the proportion of older persons will continue to increase.

Other main findings of this report include the following:

• Population ageing is irreversible.
• The population aged 60 years or over was 200 million in 1950, 600 million in 2000, 700 million in 2009.  This figure is expected to reach 2 billion by 2050.
• The pace of population ageing is faster in developing countries than in developed countries.
• The population of older persons is itself ageing. Among those aged 60 years or over, the fastest growing population is that of the oldest-old, that is, those aged 80 years or over.
• Because women live longer than men, women constitute the majority of older persons.

 Although the report does not mention disabilities, other UN reports – for example, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - note that the prevalence of disability increases with age, so any future-planning in tourism should include a consideration of both the ageing population and disability.

A European Training Certificate in “Access for All in the Tourism Sector” is being developed. The ETCAATS project has two main aims: 1), to develop online training in accessible tourism and 2), to develop a ‘Road Map’ for a common EU certification system for accessible tourism vocational training, in line with the European Commission Qualifications Framework (European Network for Accessible Tourism, ENAT).

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Today is International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD).  This is a United Nations sanctioned day that aims to promote an understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and wellbeing.

IDPwD also seeks to increase awareness of the benefits of the integration of people with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.  It  celebrates and acknowledge the contributions, skills and achievements of people with disability.

 For background about the day, a discussion of U.N. Millennium Development Goals, and to see some of the national celebrations, go here.

Scott Rains (Rolling Rains Report) notes that the UK has a website to orient businesses on their obligations regarding tourism and travellers with disabilities.

This ought to be common practice for all nations, including New Zealand, now that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been signed and ratified.  Tourism is noted as a right for PwDs in the convention.  There is particular onus on NZ for a development such as this because NZ was instrumental in progressing the CRPD, and in fact won the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award for making noteworthy progress towards the full participation of citizens with disabilities. 

At last week’s U.N. “ESCAP Takayama Congress on the creation of an inclusive and accessible community in Asia and the Pacific”, a committee of eleven representatives created a declaration laying out 20 recommendations aimed at improving accessibility for people with disabilities (PwDs) in the region.  The committee, chaired by Aiko Akiyama, Social Development Division, U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific, included members from Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Japan, and New Zealand.  Congress participants from 15 Asian-Pacific countries subsequently adopted the declaration at the U.N. meeting.   The committee and other congress participants represented governments, the private sector, disabilities organisations, individuals with disability, accessible tourism organisations, academic and research institutions, and/or development organisations.

The “Takayama Declaration on Development of Community for All” lays out recommendations on regional networking, advocacy, policy development, research and data collection, capacity building and resource mobilization on improving accessibility.

The Congress was held from 24 to 26 November in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture in central Japan , using the host city as an example of a success story.

A mountain resort, Takayama has been promoting accessible tourism for the last 18 years, creating economic opportunities as well as a more barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities. The local authorities, working in partnership with the private sector and civil society organizations, made improvement to facilities in the city to make them more barrier-free, and purchased accessible devices and means of transportation. Mayor Mamoru Tsuchino, who pioneered these initiatives, spoke at the conference.

During the three-day meeting, about 200 participants – policy makers, tourism professionals, experts on accessibility and persons with various disabilities – made field visits to various accessible facilities to learn from Takayama’s experiences. They also had opportunities to meet local residents whose awareness of and respect for the needs of persons with disabilities have contributed to the success of making Takayama a barrier-free community for its own citizens and for visitors to the city.

Takayama street scene

Takayama

The UN has sponsored Access Tourism New Zealand director Sandra Rhodda to speak about accessibility and tourism in New Zealand at the upcoming Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific congress (ESCAP) in Takayama, Japan.  The three day congress (24-26 November, 2009) will explore ways to create and sustain development of inclusive and accessible communities in Asia and the Pacific by learning from the experiences of the City of Takayama and other communities in the region. 

ESCAP has promoted Access Tourism in the region at several regional meetings before (Bali, Indonesia, in 2000, Hainan Islands, China, in 2006 and Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007).  This year, the city of Takayama will act as a model for the congress because it has been successful in adapting for and promoting Access Tourism.  It is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading barrier-free city, attracting visitors from around the world and enjoying the economic impact of becoming an accessible tourism destination for an increasing number of visitors.

Sandra Rhodda, for the European Network for Accessible Tourism©.  August 2009

September 2009

Abstract

To date, there has been little development of an Access Tourism sector in New Zealand.  There are few tourism operators offering genuine accessible tourism products, no reliable sources of coordinated information about such products, and little interest on the part of government, industry, or training organizations in the topic.  However, a group has been set up to inform government and industry about the economic benefits of providing accessible tourism products, and the group has just completed a strategy and action plan which it hopes will be examined by appropriate bodies. Continue Reading